Improvement in flas-puglers



ATo 'all 'whom -it fnmyconcern:

sind pibe.

Lette/rs Patent No. 102,875, dated 10, 1870.

IMPROVEMENT IN MAX-Poemas. Y

The Schedule referred to in these Letters Patent and making pari: of the same.

Be it known 'that I, JAMESSMITH, ofTroy, Rensselaer county,'SAtate of New York, have linvented a. i new and useful Machine for Pulling Flax; and I do hereby declare that the following is -a f'ull, c1ear, and exact description thereof', reference being had` to the accompanying drawings making part of this specifica? tion, in which* Figure' l is a top -view ofthe 4machine with the drivers seat removed ;l

Figure 2, alike view,'with the cam for operating thefgriping-jaws removed; 'and t.

Figui-e3, a cross vertical section, taken in the plane of the axis vof' the driving-wheel.' I i The same letters indicate like parts in all the figures. The object of my said invention is to vmore effect- Vually pull up 'dax bythe roots and deliver it on the ground than by any other machine heretofore made for this purpose; and tothis end my said invention` consists o f a series of pairs of griping-jaws, projecting fromthe periphery of a horizontal wheel or hub, which 'receives a rotary motion, `by suitable gearing, from a driving-wheel or wheels that run on the ground, which griping-jaws are open at a part of their circuit to receive the standing flax as the machine advances, and which, as theytravel around, are closed to gripe the flax and pull it out by the roots, and which arc opened at another part of their circuit for thedelivery thereof.

In the accompanying`drawingsa represents a frame, which-may be of any suitable construction for the machinery, to be hereinafter described, and to'be provided with suitable means, as in the case of reaping and mowing-machines, by whichv it can be moved. This frame is to bemounted on wheels b b', one or both of which should have their treads roughened 'or formed with projections', as is usual in wheels which are to impart motion to machinery. yIn the. accompanying drawings only one of -the said wheels is so represented.

On the innerface of the driving-wheel b there is a cog-wheel, @which communicates motion, .by an in'- termediate pinion and wheel, d c, tofa. horizontal or nearly horizontal wheel, f,'which turns on a" stud, g,

attached to the frame a. t

To the upper surface of the said wheel f are firmly .secured a series of radial arms, It, placed at equal dis tances apart, andr projecting tothe required distance beyond the periphery of the wheel; and the said arms are further bound and held by two concentricrngs t' i, one above and the other -below the arms, and embefore referred to, against which the iiax to be pulled is griped.

There is another' series of a1-ms, j, equal in number to th'e jaws 7l., butV which turn on fulcrum-pins k, on

the wheel j, and to the outer ends' of' these arms are i hinged what may be termed the movable jaws -Z of the series of gripingi-jaws. I

The arms j vibrate in the space between the two ringsi i, by which they are guided and supported, andthe jaws l are hinged about the middle of their length, th'ebetter to adapt themselves to any 'varying thickness of dax to be' griped against the jaws h. The arms j are, infact, levers, with shorter arms, m, extending nearlyV at right angles with thel long arms j, and each of the short arms carries africtionroller, a,- tted to run in a cam` groove, o, formed bctween the outer periphery of a 'cam-plate, p, secured .to the stud g, on which the-wheel' f turns, and the inner periphery of a segmentcam-ring, q, the-two; being connected by brace pieces lr, or in` any other shitable-manuer. f j

This cam, from about thepoint 1 to 2,.is concentric, to holdthe griping-jaws open. From the' point 2 to 3, in the direction ofthe arrow, the cam im creases gradually in radiusv to ygradually close the jaws togripe the dax, and from thepoint 3 to 4 it is concentric, ornearly so, to keep the jaws closed; to hold on to the ax while itis being .pulled up or unrooted by the jaws as they travel 'toward the backy of the machine, and then trom tire point et to l, it gradually decreases in radius to open the jaws for the delivery 'of the dax which has been pulled up.

Where the pulled up dax is to be delivered, there are two cur-ved guide-rods, s s, to insure the discharge, of the iax from the jaws. One of them isY attached to the frame, and extends below the series of jaws, and the other attached to tbe'cam-plate, or any other permanent part of the machine, and extending above `the series of jaws. 1 l

A suitableseat for adriver can bemounted on the cam-plate, .but may be otherwise lnounted. The i'acessof the griping-jaws maybe covered with leather, vulcanized rubber,'or other elastic substance, the better to gripe the stalks of hemp. p

As the machine is drawn in the direc-tion of the arrow, along the margin 'of a field vof' standing hemp, the edge of which is"represente by the line x x, the hemp is collected in the o'pen ja/ws, and, as the wheel frotates in the direction of the arrow A,fthe jaws are gradually closed, and thereby grasp the stalks, which, by the continued-rotation, are pulled out by the roots, and then'the jaws aregradually pe'ned to liberate and drop them you the ground, suiciently far from the .line x x to leave aclear space between them the roots has been described in a patent, the pulling ,zontal axis, and rotating `in a vertical plane, and composed of' bars or plates, parallel With'the shaft, and` horses and machine. The' delivery of the hemp from i the griping-jaws is aided by the curved guide-rods ss.

It will be obvious, from the foregoing, that the griping-jaws may beopened and closed by other and equivalent means than the cam above described, such, for instance, as having the inner arms4 of the movable jaws connected with an eccentric, but the mode described and represented I deem the best.` And, although I prefer to connect .the movable jaws with their arms by yielding joints, that being best in my judgmenhst-ill that may be dispensed with, if. the griping surface of the jaws be made suiiciently.yield-V ing to be-self adapting to the inequalities ofthe hemp which may enter to be griped.

The gearing for rotating the wheel or" grip'ing-jaws may be connected with the driving-wheel bya ratchet and pawl, as practiced in reaping and mowing-maa chiues, so that, in backing the machine, the jaws will not be move-(L 1f desired, the jaws on the lei`t-hand side of the machine may be covered by a suitable capplate.

And, although I prefer to have-,the gripiug-jaws connected 'with and carried by a wheel, such as described, aud braced and sustained beyond the periphery of the Wheel by the concentricrings, still, I do not wish to limit my claim of invention to such mode of construction, as other and equivalent modes may be substituted.

I am aware that a machine for pulling up `flax by operation being effected by areel of jaws on a horion radial arms, with which are combined hinged jaws to gripe the -flax against the bars on the radial arms.

As the said reel rotates, one of the plates on the radial arms is `intended to descend to pass down in -front of that portion of the flaxV ,which is to be griped, and the corresponding hinged jaw, with a quick motion in the opposite direction, gripes the hunch of flax, and, as the reel continues 'to move backward, as the machine advances, the bunch of ilax is to he pulled out by the roots and delivered on a'platform behind, from which it is to be rake It is believed that this mode of operation is defective, if not impracticable, whilst, by my said invention, a series of griping-jaws, traveling in a horizontal or nearly horizontal direction, enter the standing ax,

gripe the bunch, and pull it out .by a lateral motion, and deliver it'onthe ground at the side of the track of the machine, leaving room for the next passage of the machine.

In view of theforegoing, I do not wish to be nnderstood vas claiming, broadly, a seriesv of rotating jawuspr clamps for griping, uprooting, and delivering ax'; but A v What I do claim as my invention,'aud desire to secure by-Letters Patent, is

The arrangement of the -series of griping-jaws on a wheel or hub, so that they shall rotate about a com mon center in a horizontal or nearly horizontal plane to enter between the standing flax, gripe it, pull it out by a motion ina horizontal or nearly horizontal' direct-ion, anddeliver it on the ground at the side of the machine, out of the way of the ne'xt passage of the machine, ysubstantially as described.

' JAMES/SMITH. r Witnesses:

CHARLES H. DAUQHY, J. F. CALDERLY. 

